This week’s statue is Olive Oyl, also known as Popeye’s girlfriend.
She was the main character in E. C. Segar’s comic strips a decade before Popeye took over. Olive was written as a very scrappy, headstrong young woman. Olive is 26 years old in the comics.
Popeye wasn’t Olive’s first love interest though. Harold Hamgravy was her ex-fiancee and childhood sweetheart. He wasn’t a good love interest either. He was a “lounge lizard’ or also known as a slacker. He did little to no work and was always borrowing money from others. He was also disloyal to Olive, if he met a woman that had money he would choose her over Olive.
Olive would also get kidnapped in the comics by Bluto, but Popeye always saved her. Bluto is also Popeye’s arch-rival.
She also has a baby boy named Swee’Pea that she helps take care of. It is unknown if Swee’Pea is Olive’s biological son or adopted son. Olive Oyl also has a larger family. Her father is Cole Oyl, her mother Nana Oyl, her brother Castor Oyl, and her nieces Deezil Oyl and Voilet Oyl.
The Olive Oyl statue in Chester is located on 600 State Street, right next to the Court House. This statue features Olive Oyl herself, her pet named Eugene the Jeep, a creature from the fourth dimension with a pot belly and sausage nose and her son, Swee’Pea. This statue was built in 2007.
Some of the sponsors of the Olive Oyl statue are Steve Wynn of Wynn Resorts and Jeff Koons.